Tag: tuition

The UW System Board of Regents voted Friday to approve tuition increases for some students at UW-Madison as well as at La Crosse, Milwaukee, Parkside, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point, Stout and Whitewater. The increases would affect out-of-state undergraduates and graduate students in select programs. Read more.

Two UW-Madison experts on higher education affordability said Wednesday that a plan to increase nonresident undergraduate tuition by $10,000 over the next four years at the state’s flagship campus likely would reduce the number of lower- and middle-class students from other states and raise the stakes for attracting wealthy students. Sara Goldrick-Rab and Noel Radomski say their research points to significant risks.

The UW System Board of Regents will be asked this week to allow nine schools to raise tuition rates for graduate and non-resident students in response to plans to cut as much as $300 million in funding from the statewide budget. The requests for tuition hikes come from Madison, La Crosse, Milwaukee, Parkside, Platteville, River Falls, Stevens Point, Stout and Whitewater. Madison is proposing a four-year plan that would raise non-resident undergraduate tuition by $10,000, while international students would see an $11,000 increase. Other campuses are asking for tuition hikes of several hundred dollars, which would take effect during the next school year. The Press-Gazette has coverage.

Missing from the statewide conversation about tuition increases for graduate programs and non-resident students? UW-Green Bay, along with its sister four-year schools in Eau Claire, Oshkosh and Superior. UW-Green Bay officials tell the Log there are several reasons tuition increases are not being requested here at this time. They note a desire to hold the line until market research and other data indicate an increase would be acceptable and advisable. Also limiting the revenue potential are the relatively modest scope of graduate programs here and the overall out-of-state enrollment. Another limiting factor is the requirement to offer discounted tuition under the Midwest Compact and similar agreements that account for most non-Wisconsin enrollments.

UW System-wide tuition freezes could continue in the coming years, System President Ray Cross said Wednesday (June 4), telling the Wisconsin State Journal he favors extending the freeze beyond its current expiration date after 2014-15 school year. “I really think we’re going to embrace that tuition freeze for two more years,” Cross is quoted as saying. “We’re generally in favor, assuming we can work through with the governor and the Legislature some of the other issues to help us address our finances.” System spokesman John Diamond added that tuition is now considered “a revenue source of last resort,” the story says. Cross reiterated his call for the freeze during Thursday’s Regents meeting. You can check out the State Journal story, here.

The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel offers news coverage of UW System President Ray Cross’s proposal of a one-year plan to cover tuition costs of high school students who take UW classes offered in their schools.

UW System president Ray Cross said this week he’ll ask the state Legislature for the biggest financial aid increase in System history in the next biennial budget. Wisconsin Public Radio on Tuesday (May 20) carried the story, based on Cross’ comments made during a WisPolitics luncheon in Madison. “We will have frozen tuition four years in a row and that’s impressive,” the story quotes Cross as saying. “But we need to accompany that with an increase in financial aid, because we have frozen that for quite awhile — so we have a number of students not gaining access.” Cross also said the System has to actively help struggling families prepare their kids for college, and said officials are considering creating a statewide tutoring program that would target students from minority communities. Building strong relationships with the Legislature will be key in accomplishing those goals, Cross added. Full story.

Gov. Scott Walker on Friday (April 11) called for another two-year UW System tuition freeze, coming after a similar cap was enacted last year. In speaking with reporters Friday, Walker made it clear that the proposed freeze was tied directly to projections that the System will end the year with significant cash reserves, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. In a statement release Friday, System officials point out that three-quarters of the billion-plus in fiscal 2013 unrestricted program revenue funds are committed funds; and of the remaining funds, just 3 percent are flexible funds without specific documented plans. The remaining 22 percent are categorized as designated, meaning they’re held for a purpose related to the original fund source but planned expenditure is not documented. A sampling of media coverage, along with the full UW System statement, are linked to below:Milwaukee Journal SentinelThe NorthwesternWisconsin State JournalUW System statement

UW-Green Bay’s Dan McCollum was part of a front-page story on colleges and universities generating revenue in today’s (Friday, Nov. 15) Green Bay Press-Gazette. The story, by reporter Patti Zarling, looks at the need to obtain funding outside of the traditional tuition and taxpayer model, including marketing curriculum and other intellectual property. At UW-Green Bay, the Nursing department is part of an effort to create a computer application that would replace paper manuals, McCollum said. The University would receive a royalty for participation. In addition, several programs are self-supported, including the Environmental Management and Business Institute, McCollum said. Read the full story.